Ikea has reportedly bought TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit, the on-demand platform for hiring people to do everything from build furniture to stand in line for you at the Apple Store, has sold itself to Ikea, Recode reports. Financial terms of the deal are unknown, but the plan is for TaskRabbit to be operate as an independent subsidiary within Ikea, according to Recode. That means TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot (pictured above) and her staff would remain on board. Back in April, word on the street was that TaskRabbit was looking to sell itself to a strategic buyer. It looks like that buyer ended up being Ikea. TaskRabbit has previously raised $ 38 million from investors like Founders Fund, First Round, Floodgate and others. The acquisition comes at a time when GrubHub, a fellow gig economy employer, is in court over its practices of employing its delivery drivers as 1099 contractors instead of W-2 employees. Depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, it could potentially affect how TaskRabbit and other companies in this space do business. Clearly, that was not a deterrent for Ikea. I’ve reached out to TaskRabbit and will update this story if I hear back. Developing…Utne Altwire: healthcare